(upbeat music)
- [Narrator] Hey Psych2Goers, welcome back to our channel.
For those struggling with a mental illness,
it can be great when someone reaches out to talk about
what you're going through.
But sometimes people can say some really unhelpful things.
People who are suffering from a mental illness
often hear the same type of unhelpful remarks.
At some point, they can become annoying.
It's important to spread awareness about mental illness
and to help those who may not know
what to say to someone who has one.
So here's the list of some annoying things
you should not say to someone with a mental illness.
Although your intentions may be good,
they've simply heard these ones before a lot.
Number one, "You're not even trying."
Try?
You mean, I can try to not have a mental illness?
I never thought of that.
Everyone with a mental disorder has likely tried
to improve their mental health at some point.
Or many, they're always struggling with it,
even though they might appear fine on the outside.
To assume that someone hasn't or isn't even trying at all,
not that helpful, my friend.
Number two, "Just snap out of it."
Snap out of it or clap out of it.
Maybe clapping could be the new key.
Because yeah, you know, we've tried snapping before,
it just doesn't work.
Number three, "Attention seeker."
Boy, this one, "There's nothing wrong with you,
stop faking it, you're such an attention seeker."
Is that why they've been faking it for the last 20 years?
Somebody give this person an Oscar.
Number four, "Other people have it a lot worse than you do."
Everyone fights their own battles.
And we can't imagine everyone's pain.
Everyone has their own experiences,
so a good idea would be to stop comparing.
Because although some may have it worse,
it doesn't stop the pain from being any less real.
Everyone goes through their own struggles, we all do.
And at the moment,
it can seem like one of the worst feelings
we'll ever experience.
So just because someone else
is going through something terrible as well,
doesn't make another's own struggles any less valid.
Number five,
"But you have such a great life."
Shall I count the ways in which celebrities
and successful people have struggled with mental illness?
There are quite a few.
Truth is, no matter how rich, successful
or happy someone looks,
you never know what they're going through.
Many people struggling
often wear a mask of confidence or happiness
in order to appear fine to everyone else.
When really no matter how great their life can seem to you,
odds are, you won't know what it is
that they're going through.
Everyone is different.
I think we learned that in kindergarten, right?
Mrs. Simmon's class?
So it's best to stop expecting everyone situations
to be the same.
You can be grateful for what you have in your life
and still be going through some serious struggles.
Number six, "Everyone can be a little moody,
sad, OCD sometimes."
Bruh, really, you're gonna go there?
Some people like to underplay
someone else's mental illness as nothing.
To them it's just a strong reaction to a problem
everyone has, when really there's a chemical imbalance
going on in their brains.
Some can say you're just being sad or moody,
and need to move on like normal people.
Some even like to use literal terms for mental illnesses,
like it's no big deal too.
Now, some people who are going through a mental illness
often use humor as a defense mechanism,
or simply because they're so used to living with a disorder.
But others really don't know what realm
they're dipping their toes in.
"I'm so OCD, I'm so bipolar, I wish I was anorexic."
Yikes, don't even get me started on these ones.
Number seven, "There's no way you have a mental illness."
Some people have an idea built up in their heads
of what mental illness looks like.
Guess what?
They could be right about somethings, wrong about others,
because not everyone is the same.
Remember, we learned this in kindergarten.
Some people can appear happy on the outside
and be struggling with something internally.
Someone can be exhibiting strong physical symptoms
that may come across as their worst to you,
when actually it's their best.
Their symptoms have improved a lot compared to before,
but you wouldn't know that, right?
Because we may never know who
or who doesn't have a mental disorder.
Number eight, "You're being overdramatic", overdramatic?
If you think this is overdramatic,
you should see how I was last year.
That might be existential crisis terms to you then.
Oh, yeah, it was.
Number nine, "Other people's lives are hard too,
and they're now crying about it."
Similar to saying people have it's so much worse than you,
this one seems to get thrown around a lot.
A lot of people like to say,
"You should toughen up and get over it."
Somehow crying became something that's used against others,
to weaken them, when really, it's something we often need.
It's natural, it's cleansing, it's powerful,
and it's something we often need
to help build ourselves up again.
And number 10, "You're wrong.
I have a different experience."
Some people have experienced mental illness differently.
That's normal,
but to say someone else's experiences are wrong
simply because they're not your own,
why is your experience the only right one?
Some people will point to someone
they know who has suffered a mental illness, valid points,
or maybe they have a mental disorder.
Everyone's experience is valid,
but don't think your experience is the only one.
Everyone has a different story, coping mechanism,
a different defense, a spectrum of symptoms.
Some line up with a textbook definition, others don't.
Some can be a combination of many.
So you hold on to your experiences,
but don't invalidate someone else's,
simply because it's not your own.
When in doubt,
take it from Mrs. Simmon's kindergarten class.
"Everyone is different."
So which of these have you heard?
What's the most annoying thing you've heard
about a mental illness?
Did you learn something new?
Share with us in the comments down below.
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We'll see you next time.